Michael Morris | City Deluxe

F L A T F O R M | WORKS BY MICHAEL MORRIS

June 15 – October 15, 2023

Opening reception

Thursday, June 15, 6-9pm, 

Propellor Studio, Granville Island, 1247 Cartwright Street

New leaf editions is pleased to show original etchings made in collaboration with Michael Morris in 2012 based from his series of paintings «City de Luxe» initiated in 1989. 

This exhibition organized by Chernoff fine art in partnership with Propellor Studio showcases a special collection of Michael Morris’s graphic works, dating back to the late 1960s. The featured pieces, including silkscreened artworks display his strong sense of design using abstract forms. 

City Deluxe, a suite of ten produced etchings, each based on an example of Morris’ late 1960s engagement with Concrete Poetry. The original 1968 drawings of abstract black and white compositions of mainly letters and numbers arranged to emphasize the visual expressiveness of typographical language were made with a combination of ink and letter transfer techniques. Some of the designs reflect Morris’ strong interest in the legacy of Art Deco, while others show the influence of choreographer Busby Berkeley’s radial geometric patterns. Each image is rendered with an illusionistic third dimension, giving the design the semblance of an actual object. Originally intended to be part of an unbound book entitled The Problem of Nothing, the highly graphic images were recently shown for the first time in more than four decades as part of an exhibition around Morris’ work that was held at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery at the University of British Columbia. Now re-imagined as etchings in an edition of 25 published by Kardosh Projects, these classic monochromatic images are being made available to collectors and institutions for the first time since their original conception.

Michael Morris (1942-2021), made significant contributions to the world of contemporary art. Working in Vancouver, Morris gained recognition as a painter and printmaker, exploring abstract and conceptual art forms. His early works combined geometric abstraction with a focus on colour, space, and form.

This very special portfolio of prints is on display at New Leaf Edition Studio. If you’re interested in purchasing the entire portfolio for $26 000 or individual prints for $2 800 tax not included contact Peter Braune at info@newleafeditions.com